For IXO, the aim is to boost XMM's collecting area 20-fold, while delivering three times the resolution.

Achieving this demands new technology. While NASA is investigating an alternative called 'slumped glass', ESA is focusing on silicon pore optics, based around commercial silicon wafers.

According to ESA's Eric Wille, "Manufacturers already polish these wafers to optical quality to better 'print' the tiny structures needed for the latest microprocessors. So, the wafers need no further polishing, while also being both light and stiff."

The next step is to streamline the assembly process for mass production and further improve quality, opening the door to unprecedented discoveries in the X-ray sky. (ANI)